Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Got Tickets? Sorta

The big game starts at 1 pm. You know the local sports pubs will be packed. The common solution is to get there very early, grab a table or two, put coats on adjacent seats, and uncomfortably try to wait out the countdown to kickoff. Are my friends coming? Is the server judging me?

This tactic is costly to your time and the pub's opportunity to seat a lunch customer. Surely there is a better way. What if the pub sold tickets (or it could call them reservations)?

You and a friend each buy a ticket for, say, $6 apiece and get a guaranteed seat starting at 12:50 pm. Is $6 worth the peace of mind of having a low-stress seat and the wasted time of hoarding space an hour or more in advance? Probably so. If not, are there enough other people who do think this is a good price? Probably so. If not, maybe the price should be $4. It will work itself out over time, since the pub has a strong incentive to keep the tables full.

This is a win-win, if framed correctly. Maybe the pub could introduce the concept by initially keeping some tables first-come, first-served.